Property Rights At Odds With Sprawl Control

Market forces nurture a new crop on rural land -- suburban development.

1 minute read

April 12, 2005, 8:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


"...the land is ripe for one last crop: thousands of single family homes...It is a well-worn script: A land-rich family with a rural heritage puts up a for-sale sign. If the price is right, the pastures, woods and furrows are soon replaced with large bedroom communities 30 minutes or an hour from the urban core, accessible only by automobiles... the push for federal regulation set off alarms among builders and large land owners, and sparked a property rights movement that has been instrumental in eliminating many of the regulations of land development that were passed in the 1960s and 1970s.

The resulting system of local control has been criticized for not doing enough to stop sprawl.

Thanks to Sheryl Stolzenberg

Monday, April 11, 2005 in The St. Petersburg Times

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

Geese flock to a frozen pond in Aurora, Colorado. There are houses in the background.

Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing

The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.

September 17, 2026 - Capital & Main

The Gross Reservoir, a large body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion

Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.

September 18 - Inside Climate News

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18 - Mass Transit

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivers remarks at his swearing-in ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Raised interest rates may kill financially vulnerable construction projects

The chief economist at ConstructConnect warns that if construction project owners are negatively impacted by the raised rates, it could result in delayed payments to contractors.

September 18 - Construction Dive